#Thegreatpoolpondconversion - 191014
After three weeks of meh pictures and invisible progress, we were determined to have something to photograph today. And we were eager to start on the upper shelf. We were close, but not quite there, and we were determined!
To make it happen, instead of doing one thing all day, we did, not a double, not a triple, not even a four-ple.
We did a five-ple of work (it’s a word. Ask my wife)
1 - we pounded last week’s backfilled sand. It wasnt quite enough sand to be level.
2 - we wheelbarrowed more backfill sand.
- we pounded the new sand, but no extra points. Same task, different sand. We got the lower shelf mostly flat and even to where we were aiming.
One of our early decisions was no precision or accuracy. No models, and limited measuring. Things don’t have to be uniform, to the inch, true, level etc. They need to be ‘close’. After all an actual pond isn’t a work of exactitude. Things weave, undulate, rise and fall, etc. So most of this by eye.
3 - THEN we started the upper shelf by laying the sand bags we made about 3 weeks ago. We got two courses down.
4 - we pounded the sandbags (yes it counts separately)
5 - after lunch, and to hit the number five, we made a bunch more sandbags. Pictures of filled and waiting sandbags are boring now, right?
The whole thing was such a blur of efficiency that we didn’t count bags, wheelbarrows, minutes of pounding, etc. We also forgot to put out the gazebo. It’s 10 degrees cooler - in the 80’s and that makes things a bit easier, but the sun is still the sun. We won’t make that mistake again.
And here we are:
The cactus (a secondary project) is being recalcitrant and has yet to give up its death grip on the front yard. We think it doesn’t realize it’s moving to a much better spot where it can stretch out wide and high and roam free.